Head construction for dolls



May 30, 1944.

A M, KATZ HEAD CONSTRUCTION FOR DQLLS Filed Jan. 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheetl &

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS May 30, 1944. KATZ 2,350,114

HEAD CONSTRUCTION FOR DOLLS Filed Jan. 25, 1942- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2lllllllllllllnllg 5a Maw fizi ag BY aw/fwd INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented May 30, 1 944 HEAD CONSTRUCTION FOR DOLLS Abraham M.Katz, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Ideal Novelty & Toy 00., Long IslandCity, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 23, 1942,.Serial No. 427,865

4 claims. (01. 46-173) v My invention relates to anew and improved headconstruction for dolls. V

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a simple andeflicient construction whereby the head of a doll is securely andmovably assembled with a doll-body, which is preferably stuffed andwhich preferably has an outer skin which is made of rubber. By means ofthe improved construction, the head of the doll can be tilted forwardsand backwards and also sideways relative to the body," and the head canalso be 'completelyrotated relative to the body.

Other objects of the invention will be stated in the annexed descriptionand drawings.

- Fig. 1 is a sectional view on the line I-I of Fig. 4.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. a a

. Fig. 31s a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

I Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Y

Fig. 5 is a top perspective view of the neck block. I

Fig. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the neck block, showing the nail6 in its initial inclined position in which its head abuts the bottomwall of the neck block N, and before said nail is forced under'pressureinto the final position which is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the clamping spring.

The body of the doll is provided with an outer skin I, which is made offlexible material, such as resilient and flexible rubber. The skin I isprovided with a stufi'lng 2. The doll is'Of the general constructionwhich is described in U. S. Patent No. 2,252,077 and my co-pendingapplication Serial No. 426,075 filed on January 8, 1942.

The skin I is provided with a neck portion, in which a neck block N islocated. This neck -block N is preferably made of wood or of otherrelatively yieldable material, into which the nail 6 can be forced, soas to fix the nail 6 to said neck block N. For convenience, the devicewill be described with reference to the vertical position thereof whichis shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The top of the neck block N is recessed, soas to provide a top annular flange 4. The bottom of the neck block isalso recessed, in order to provide a bottom annular flange 5; vided witha, vertical bore 3.

The nail 6 is fixed to the neck block N, by means of suitable pressure.This pressure forces the head of the nail 6 and the adjacent part of Theneck block is prothe shank of said nail, into the material of the bottomannular flange 5, so as to form a T-shaped. recess. The point of thenail is preferably embedded in the longitudinal or vertical inner wallof the flange 5. As shown in Fig. 6, the head of the nail B can becontacted with the bottom wall of the neck block N, while the axis ofthe shank of said naiI'B is inclined to the axis of the bore 3. By thenapplying suitable pressure, the nail 6 is forced into its finalposition, with the point of the nail slightly embedded in the materialof the neck block N.

The closed loop'of a hook I is assembled with the shank of the nail 6,before the nail 6 is thus fixed to the neck block N. This closed loop ofthe hook l is freely slidable and turnable relative to the shank of thenail B. The bore 3 is of sufficient transverse diameter to permit asubstantial movement of the hook 1 relative to the shank of the nail 6.The drawings are substantially to scale, and reference is made theretofor further details.

The top portion of the skin I is bent inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, soas to abut the inner wall of the flange 4. This inwardly turned flap ofthe skin I is held in position by means of a pair of springs 8, one ofwhich is shown in Fig. 7.

Each of these springs 8 is provided with fingers 8a, at each endthereof. These springs 8 are made of anysuitable resilient metal andthey are bent and forced into abutting relation with the flap of theskin I, so that said springs 8 are frictionally retained in position.The fingers 8a of said springs preferably abut each other, so that thefrictionally held springs 8 abut substantially the entire periphery ofthe flap of the skin I.

This construction securely and frictionally retains the neck block N inposition, and it also securely holds the fiap of the skin I against thinner wall of the top flange 4.

The neck block N can be readily inserted through the open top of theskin I, so as to circumferentially stretch the skin I. The neck block Nthen rests upon the top of the stuffing 2, which is sufiiciently firm tohold the neck block against further downward movement.

By removing the springslfl, and applying suitable upward force, the neckblock can be readily removed from the skin, if this is desired at anytime. Since the skin I is under tension, where it abuts the outersurface of the neck block N, said neck block N is thus securely heldagainst rotating or otherwise shifting relative to the skin I.

The head H is made of any suitable rigid ma- 'cludes eyeball members 14and a weight it. sleeping eye construction is conventional and theterial, such as plastic or the like. The bottom of said head has asocket wall which snugly fits against the respective part of the skin I.

The outer upstanding wall of the neck block N is upwardly tapered sothat the top of the neck block is of smaller diameter than the bottom ofthe neck block. The longitudinal linear elements of the outer surface ofthe neck block are of curved and convex shape.

The head H can therefore be tilted forwards and backwards relative tothe skin I and the neck block N, and said head can also be tiltedsideways and rotated freely relative to the neck block N and the skin l.A transverse bar i i] has its ends embedded in rigid bosses of the headH, so that the bar'lll is fixed rigidly to the head H. Said bar It hasan open loop H. An elastic loop L has its respective ends connected tothe upper part of the hook I and to the open loop I I. This elastic loopL is assembled with the bar Id, before the bar ID is fixed to the innerbosses or projections of the head H.

The head of the doll is provided with the conventional sleeping eyeconstruction, which in- This details thereof are therefore notdescribed.

The stretched and elastic loop L, which can be made of rubber or othersuitable material, holds the head H in assembled position with the neckblock, while permitting universal movement of the head H relative to theneck block. 7 .It is clear that a simple and convenient construction isprovided for assembling the head of the doll with the body thereof.

The portion of the skin in which the neck block N is located, isdesignated as the neck portion of the skin. The neck block N ishorizontally or laterally oversized relative to said-neck portion of theskin, so that said neck portion is maintained under lateralcircumferential tension, when the neck block is inserted into the neckportion of the skin. The holding means it can be replaced by adhesive orany other suitable holding means. While the neck block is preferablymade of wood or metal or plastic or other rigid material, it may be madeof yieldable and resilient material.

The skin I may be made of fabric or other material which has little orno resilience and numerous other changes can be made from the preferredembodiment described herein, without departing from the invention.

When I refer to a rigid neck block N, I include a neck block which ismade of anymaterial which has sufiicient rigidity to maintain said neckblock N in predetermined normal shaped Such material of the neck blockcan therefore be resilient or yieldable, if suflicient force is appliedthereto.

The invention covers not only the complete combination described herein,but various subcombinations thereof.

I claim:

l. A doll body having a skin made of elastic material, said skin havinga stuihngeai-d skin having a neck portion, the top of said stuffingbeing atthe bottom of said neck portion, a rigid neck block located insaid neck portion, said neck block being laterally oversized relative tothe neck portion of the skin, said neck portion of the skin beinglaterally stretched and snugly abutting and frictionally gripping theouter wall of said neck block, said neck block being insertable intosaid neck portion through the top of said neck portion, said neck blockhaving a top recess and also having a bottom recess and also having avertical bore, a transverse holding member located in said bottom recessand embedded into the material of said neck block, said holding memberbeing thus rigidly fixed to said neck block, a hook member which ispartially located in said bore and which extends above the top of saidneck member, said hook member having a loop at its bottom end, saidholding member being located in said loop, said hook member beingslidable and turnable relative to said holding member, the top'portionof said skin being bent into the top recess of said neck block, holdingmeans which hold the inwardly bent portion of the skin against the innerwall of said top recess, the longitudinal elements of the outer wall ofsaid neck block being convex at the top of said neck block, a rigid headwhich is open at its bottom, the wall of said head at the open portionthereof abutting and 'interfitting the respective part of said skin,said head having a universal movement relative to said skin and to saidneck block, elastic means movably connecting said head to said .hookmember above the top of said neck block.

2. A doll having a body which has a .stufiing and a flexible skin, saidskin having a neck portion which is free from said stufiing, a rigidblock located in said neck portion, the inner wall of said neck portionabutting the outer wall of said block, the top of said block having arecess, a portion of said skin being bent inwardly 'into said recess,means securing said inwardly bent portion of the skin to the inner wallof said recess, said doll having a head which is open at its bottom, thewall of said head at its open bottom having substantially the same shapeas the respective portion of the neck block and abutting the respectivepart of said skin, the wall of the head at its open bottom and therespective portion of the wall of the neck block being shaped so thatthe head istiltable and turnable relative to the neck block, holdingmeans maintaining the head assembled with the body, said holding meansincluding an elastic and tensed member.

3. A doll according to claim 2 in which said holding means also includea rigid hook which engages said elastic member and a holding devicewhich anchors the lower end of said hook to said neck block, said neckblock having a bore in which a part of the hook is located, said hookbeing movable relative to said neck block.

4. A doll body having an outer flexible skin and interior stuffing, saidskin having a top neck portion which is free from said stufiing, a rigidneck block having a bore located in said neck portion, said neck blockhaving a recess at the bottom thereof a holding member having a shankand a head, the point of said shank and the head of said holding membercontacting the vertical inner wall of said bottom recessed neck block,the

